The University of North Carolina Herbarium has
catalogued approximately two dozen plants collected by F. E. McDonald. All
were collected in Illinois. As databasing of the collection continues, more
specimens collected by him may be found.
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The following is from Chase, Virginius H. (1920)
Francis Eugene M'Donald. Rhodora 22 (260): pages unknown.
FRANCIS EUGENE MCDONALD was born at Wyanet, Illinois, Feb. 23, 1860.
The family moved to Peoria in his childhood and he received his education in
that town. After completeing his school days, F.E. McDonald took up the study
of law under Judge Bigelow. He stood third in a class of twenty-six and was
admitted to the bar, January 8, 1883. He had taken the law course because his
mother wished it, but controversies and quarrels were so absolutely contrary
to his nature that he never could bring himself to practice his profession.
On account of the illness of his father,
who was in the railway mail service, he took his place for some months as
railway mail clerk between Galva and Quincy, Ill., and in 1884 was given a
regualr appointment between Rock Island, Ill., and St. Louis, Mo., which he
held up to the time of his death.
As a child he greatly admired a little
"herbarium" prepared by his mother in her school days, but just how
great his admiration for it was she never realized until she thoughtlesly
gave it away. Before many years he began to collect and prepare herbarium
specimens for himself, and by the time he was married, Sept. 25, 1890, to
Miss Ida Trine of Chicago, he had a large local collection. He added to this
by exchange with all the best collectors in the country, until at the time he
sold it to the University of Illinois, about 10 years ago, it numbered over
ten thousand specimens.
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The following excerpt is from p. 390 of
Mohlenbrock, Robert H. (1982) Illinois Solanaceae in the Missouri Botanical
Garden Herbarium and Biographical Sketches of Some Collectors. Annals of the
Missouri Botanical Garden 69(2): 382-392.
FRANCIS EUGENE MCDONALD (1860 - 1920), born in Wyanet, Illinois,
moved at an early age to Peoria where he resided for the remainder of his
life. Although he studied law and was admitted to the bar on January 8, 1883,
he was not excited about the legal profession. When his father became ill,
McDonald took his place as a railway mail clerk, a position which became
permanent in 1884 and which he held until his death. McDonald collected
plants as a hobby, mostly in the Peoria area.
